like a lot of other stuff that came out in the '80s, it was just fun music, great visual performance. they were just trying to do what everyone else was trying to do, but in a different way.

as far as the message goes, I don't care, it was just good music to me...

And I'm a Wiccan.

Quoting: Th Anti-Hero 1127083

It was theater and eveyone had their own angle. I remember reading an interview with Dio and Iommi where they were asked this stupid question. The answer was perfect. First a flat out No, then they said that the preceived idea of it sold more records so they went along with it and let people think what they wanted. Perfect marketing!

Let's be real for a minute... did you guys deep down honestly believe the guys from Stryper were "christians"?....... this was the devils way of sucking in the christian youth that were misguided and confused. Becareful about worshipping false idols

The thought of using Christianity as a means to 'Market" your self...think about this..in the eyes of the religious ...wouldn't it be in fact using the lords name in vain?...and the rockstar life represents vanity, greed and pride.How would anyone be conned into believing they were a christian rock band? So, they are a rock band, woopie..and only a so-so rock band.Now...what makes them labelled a Christian rock band? Did they have to have some sort of certified purity? Its in the angle you looked as them....Compared to Some of the Dark Heavy Metal...they were Pure. Compared to Lawrence welk, they were demons.They found an audience and played it.

And...BTWOzzy never ate children...but he did in fact bite the head off a bat. He was intoxicated to say the least, and when it was thrown on stage, he assumed it was a rubber toy. Caught up in the theatrics...he bit its head off.And I am sure he would never want to do it again...but he loved the publicity it gave his dark image.

I was very involved in Contemporary Christian Music all thru the Stryper era. I had contact with one member of the band. I knew lots of the people in the industry, so I feel I am a qualified witness and can speak an opinion.

Again, I KNEW many of these people. OP is way off course here, as is the preacher and the ministry condemning them. I dont know what planet you are on, but on THIS planet--all of us christians have lots of problems. Yes, alcohol, drugs, sex, money, etc.-- and I can also say may of the artists start real well, but as they gain a lot of fame and money, they get weak and often find themselves in failures of one sort ofr another. The typical christians attitude is to loudly condemn. PITY....

I say- when you point a finger at an erring brother or sister--REMEMBER that three are pointing back at you.Most of you are completely unaware of the pressures of being a famous person, let alone a rock musician. Dont kid yourself- these people are no better than you, they still put their pants on one leg at a time....they are very human.

There was a lot of trouble in the theology of the church at that time--we preached God's grace to a point we were not warning that God judges, we were fooled in to thinking once saved always saved. That was not a real accurate message--as God judges His kids HARDER if they dont repent.But many did do what they could do to share Jesus. I am thankful Christ was preached.

Michael Sweet was wise to step away when he left the band, but I feel the christian community at large is to blame by preaching such a shallow gospel . Rock music is awsome, and Stryper was some of the best music of that time. Pray for our bretheren in christian music.

wow. the bit about the satanic colors being yellow and black.. in my dreams ive had beings which i thought was aliens round me up in pairs they also carry a weapon ,they are small and wear a gas mask type thing ,llike the insect looking mask,

Twice ive dreamed of these creatures ,they say nothing and are acompaied by 1 of my dead grandmars,she then speaks an tells me to go with her,them.

there is a ship above and its like a concreate look,oblong with windows.i think in my mind harvester..we then are dropped in a place dry ,with a greenish atmosphere like mars is the landscape.we are just left .there are 7 tornadoes spinning held in one place ,infront a great desolate mountain..

i know its hell ,an yes i deseve to go.i was a great drinker party goer,also had a divorce an kid withoout marriage.. ive messed with substances.

But for over 10years ive been struck down afflicted ,which i know is a spiritual attack with real mesurable damage ,proved through ct scans and such.

i repent everynight to jesus ,and was asigned the number 44 which in hebrew means for judgement,,im telling people this because time is short very short. less than 10years ,it could be 2.

I want you to find god the father and jesus,yeshua.

ive had dreams also of my other family my mum auntes an unces an they are in a better place,i,ve been allowed to visit them lateley in dreams they live in one house as a family on the other side.

i believe they are waiting to ,or was last time i dreamed this which was 1 year ago for the family dream.the alien ,demon dream was 3 years an more.

i also in a different dream met a angel, without wings, he also wore brown an yellow .sorta like a indu type jacket with regards the neck line. it had a thick yellow edge .like the old rock n roll jackets two colours with black velvet. but indu style ,very impressive. he was 9 feet tall at least. the walls were an emerald crystall latice. constantley changeing. there was red buttons shapped like a toungue. i pushed and went into a corridor .the floor and walls changed to the emerald and openead.llike an door.at the end of the corridor was deep space nothing stars an blackness.the floor extended as i walked. i was trapped now in this corridor if you walked to the end the floor diapered behind you ,yes to black nothing...

this was a warning . your souls are dumped of world. for ever stuck in a void of space cold ,dark, and probally trapped in a magnetic flux of some sort.

i hit the wall lots of times it wouldnt open ,,then it opeand ,i came out the angel was stood there ,sorta laughing ,smileing jovial. i turned and saw my dead mum,she was not pleased,her arms folded looking no smile stern serious,, ilooked to the 9 foot guy .. he sorta had a dogs features but radiant. he was jovial .i said can i come with you ,he said soon but you have to go back. my mum was in a different place ,the angel,commander looked to my mum and smiled. my mum turned upset and went back in the house,she could do nothing she was comforted by my dead aunts uncles an bigger family whos passed.

now was the comander in charge of the lower little aliens demons ,,i dont know ..but they were vivid in full color.

the color is black and yellow and the article states satans colors are black n yellow ???????

I was very involved in Contemporary Christian Music all thru the Stryper era. I had contact with one member of the band. I knew lots of the people in the industry, so I feel I am a qualified witness and can speak an opinion.

Again, I KNEW many of these people. OP is way off course here, as is the preacher and the ministry condemning them. I dont know what planet you are on, but on THIS planet--all of us christians have lots of problems. Yes, alcohol, drugs, sex, money, etc.-- and I can also say may of the artists start real well, but as they gain a lot of fame and money, they get weak and often find themselves in failures of one sort ofr another. The typical christians attitude is to loudly condemn. PITY....

I say- when you point a finger at an erring brother or sister--REMEMBER that three are pointing back at you.Most of you are completely unaware of the pressures of being a famous person, let alone a rock musician. Dont kid yourself- these people are no better than you, they still put their pants on one leg at a time....they are very human.

There was a lot of trouble in the theology of the church at that time--we preached God's grace to a point we were not warning that God judges, we were fooled in to thinking once saved always saved. That was not a real accurate message--as God judges His kids HARDER if they dont repent.But many did do what they could do to share Jesus. I am thankful Christ was preached.

Michael Sweet was wise to step away when he left the band, but I feel the christian community at large is to blame by preaching such a shallow gospel . Rock music is awsome, and Stryper was some of the best music of that time. Pray for our bretheren in christian music.

Quoting: To Hell witth the devil 1154794

So its okay to walk around pretending to be christian when you know full well that you are anything but christian? They misled and deceived that's not good in anyones eyes

Typical Christian Propaqganda....Stryper was a christian rock band that appealed to children without the obvious christian approach. I am not a christian but when I wasd a kid, I thought it was sort of cool ande fresh what they did within the "rock music" world...

Now Christians are bashing the only Ministry that reached out to kids that they could not reach alone..

Pathetic...jesus-is-savior.com seem to be a bunch of hypocrite scum bags. God I hate fucking right wing christians. No issues with GOD, just his followers are complete idiots.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1059909

Yup, this guy is a hypocrite. I used to think his site was good. But, then I noticed all of the denominations he criticized. I noticed which one wasnt on there.. Baptists! This guy is a Baptist! This is a denomination which believes in once saved, always saved. Blasphemy.

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed." John 6:27-58

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.-James 4:4

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.-Galatians 6:7

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.-Colossians 2:8

Rev 13:9-10 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; (Betraying your family and friends) he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. (Guns!) Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

I think the dead giveaway way the fact that Stryper wore the yellow and black and all their album covers displayed the illuminati triangle also in their music videos.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1149855

Correct sir :)

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed." John 6:27-58

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.-James 4:4

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.-Galatians 6:7

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.-Colossians 2:8

Rev 13:9-10 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; (Betraying your family and friends) he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. (Guns!) Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

That link shows Scott Ian of Anthrax describing a moment where obviously Stryper was out of their element with a crowd that was all about head banging and thrash metal and Stryper attempts to throw out bibles to the crowd and were met with them being thrown back at the band.

In my opinion, they suffered for their beliefs.

Beyond that, Michael Sweet is a wonderful, God loving man. I am sure he had his wild days back in the time of the old Stryper but all of the members have changed now.

Not only is he with Stryper, but he is also co-lead singer for the classic rock band Boston now. I have met him twice and he is grateful for the opportunities given to him and uses his God given vocal abilities to inspire many people.

I think the site that just ran a sword through the legacy of Stryper is nothing more than a fanatical over zealous, angst ridden music critic.

People go through stages in their lives. Some do things they are not proud of and all they can do is ask for forgiveness when they do wrong, just like myself and anyone else. Forgiveness from God, forgiveness from their peers, neighbors and even their own family.

Michael lost his wife a few years ago to cancer and went through a personal hell having to watch her die like that. He didnt turn to drinking or anything like that...he turned to music and created some of the most beautiful songs (solo)that helped him deal with that loss he knew he was going to endure.

You misquoted that scripture. Why does everyone make the Bible so difficult to understood? It is meant to be read and understood even by a child. In fact we are to come to Him as a child.

King James VersionLuke Chapter 6:37

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged."

Seems pretty simple to me. If we are followers of Jesus His law of love is written on our hearts, we are no longer under the Old Testament laws. Him whom the Son sets free is free indeed. We are each to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling and not to judge, or condemn another. If it is good enough for Jesus it is good enough for me.

It is Satan the deceiver who is known as 'The Accuser." I prefer the Words of Jesus. Love and light to you.

You misquoted that scripture. Why does everyone make the Bible so difficult to understood? It is meant to be read and understood even by a child. In fact we are to come to Him as a child.

King James VersionLuke Chapter 6:37

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged."

Seems pretty simple to me. If we are followers of Jesus His law of love is written on our hearts, we are no longer under the Old Testament laws. Him whom the Son sets free is free indeed. We are each to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling and not to judge, or condemn another. If it is good enough for Jesus it is good enough for me.

It is Satan the deceiver who is known as 'The Accuser." I prefer the Words of Jesus. Love and light to you.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1476572

Excuse me?

What do you think you are pointing out? So, you looked it up and copied the words exactly right. You could not even have gotten it partially right by memory, because you don't study the Bible.

In context, that is what it means: Don;t judge hypocritically. You have to study the Bible in context.

Googling things proves nothing. Just a cheap attempt at a "gotcha."

And "..seems right to me..." is another apostate just "making up his own religion." Not actually studying the Bible.

You misquoted that scripture. Why does everyone make the Bible so difficult to understood? It is meant to be read and understood even by a child. In fact we are to come to Him as a child.

King James VersionLuke Chapter 6:37

Judge not, and ye shall not be judged."

Seems pretty simple to me. If we are followers of Jesus His law of love is written on our hearts, we are no longer under the Old Testament laws. Him whom the Son sets free is free indeed. We are each to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling and not to judge, or condemn another. If it is good enough for Jesus it is good enough for me.

It is Satan the deceiver who is known as 'The Accuser." I prefer the Words of Jesus. Love and light to you.

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1476572

Excuse me?

What do you think you are pointing out? So, you looked it up and copied the words exactly right. You could not even have gotten it partially right by memory, because you don't study the Bible.

In context, that is what it means: Don;t judge hypocritically. You have to study the Bible in context.

Googling things proves nothing. Just a cheap attempt at a "gotcha."

And "..seems right to me..." is another apostate just "making up his own religion." Not actually studying the Bible.

FAIL

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1417728

The translation I was originally quoting in my first post was the New American Standard. I didn't google it as you incorrectly surmised.blessings and love to you

"From the end of 1988 'till February of this year, I was drunk every day." (HM, Mar/Apr 97 #64, p.47 emphasis added).

1988 Stryper was going strong! Stryper didn't disband until 1991! For the last three years, performing before young people as supposedly a "Christian" testimony — Tim Gaines was drunk!

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 1113496

Maybe he is Catholic. Just sayin.

I say what I mean. I mean what I say. It is amazing the people who hate me for that.Learn to Swim.Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is mearly energy condensed through a slow vibration, we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, life is only a dream and we are the imaginations of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather. ~Bill Hicks